The Glycemic
Index Diet
For people who have Type II diabetes, or
have "insulin resistance" due to obesity or other factors, the body
must work harder to produce more insulin to cover the blood sugar that is
produced following a meal. This is one reason that many popular diets emphasize
reducing the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, and promote the use of the
glycemic index (i.e.. Nutrisystems) to help choose good and bad carbohydrates. But do you
really need to reduce carbohydrates to very low levels to lose weight and
improve insulin resistance like these diets are promoting?
The simple answer is no.
A healthy diet is based upon eating a variety of healthy foods, and in fact most
cultures have diets based upon carbohydrate sources. Examples of this are rice
in India and Asia, tortillas and beans in Central America, bread and potatoes in
the U.S. and Europe, and root vegetables in Africa. China, with one of the
lowest incidences of obesity, has a diet based upon rice, a carbohydrate. But
some people do respond differently to the type of carbohydrate eaten, and
monitoring this in people with fluctuating blood sugars (usually diabetes) can
be helpful in getting better blood glucose control.
The
recommended diet for people with diabetes
The
recommended diet for people with diabetes (a disease in
which the body cannot produce insulin or cannot use the
insulin it produces normally to lower blood glucose)
includes about 50% carbohydrate. Your recommending
eating plan, for weight loss, weight maintenance,
and weight gain is at least 50% carbohydrate because
this is the chief source of energy for the body. But
there are three important points to remember:
1. You will
probably be eating less carbohydrate on Your
PersonalDiets™
Plan (even though it is 50% carbohydrate ) because your
total calories are reduced on a weight loss plan. So, on
a good weight loss plan, fat, protein, and carbohydrate
will be in balance with the total amount of calories you
need to lose weight safely and comfortably.
2.
Your
PersonalDiets™
plan is flexible, so if you want to follow a lower
glycemic diet or want to avoid certain foods that you
have more problems with, you can choose or substitute
foods with a lower glycemic index quite easily by using
your eating guidelines. You are not stuck specific foods
at specific times - you can make changes so that it fits
your personal needs better - we designed our diet plan
with flexibility in mind.
3. Eating
smaller meals and snacks, and eating a mix of protein,
fat and carbohydrate throughout the day can help in
controlling fluctuating blood sugars, and gives you the
energy you need even while you are eating less to lose
weight. We provide a sample meal plan to help you plan
your meals and snacks, but you should make your own
adjustments when you find what works best for your needs
- you are not required to follow a set menu plan - it is
there as a learning tool and to help you with good
planning. Your eating plan emphasizes high nutrition
carbohydrates with both high and low glycemic indexes
and doesn't eliminate any food group.
PersonalDiets™
are recommended routinely by
physicians,
nurses, certified personal trainers, family and friends
for there effectiveness... Learn
Why - See A Sample Diet & Get Your FREE Diet Analysis
The Diet
for Diabetes
Good News!
PersonalDiets™
follows the recommendations from the American Diabetes
Association and American Heart Association for healthy
diets to prevent and control risk factors for diabetes
and heart disease. Each diet plan gives a clear plan of
action and is easy to follow so that you can lose weight
and eat the right balance of foods for your health
needs. If you have diabetes, we can help you get on the
right track with a healthy eating plan designed for
weight loss or weight maintenance. If you want to
avoid getting diabetes (who doesn’t?), our diet plan can
help you reach a healthy body weight and eat well with a
plan you can follow life long for good health.
Personal
Dietitian's Director of Nutrition & Chief
Dietitian, Carolyn Classick-Kohn,MS,RD,CFT , designs all
diet and meal plans for diabetes. Learn more about
how
our custom
diets
can work for
your personal needs... Start with a
100% FREE Diet
Analysis
